Love on the Tracks
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the Fast and Furious franchise, I'm just a fan.
Dominique wiped sweat from his brow as he unloaded the last of the hay into the last stall. He sighed and admired his handiwork as he walked out of the stall and stopped in his tracks at what he saw. The Duke's daughter was brushing her horse down as she prepared for its saddling. She had been gone for two years while she was in France dealing with some business that had to do with the king and her father, but now that she was back Dominique was blown away. She had grown out in the right places that weren't hidden by many petticoats as she brushed her horse in trousers, considered very unladylike and improper but Dominique had never seen a woman look so beautiful. Her raven hair was loose and falling all over her shoulders as she worked on her beautiful stallion her long slender fingers held the brush as she waved it over her horse. Her toned legs bent as she saddled her horse's girth and when she bent over to clean the horse's hooves Dominique just about had a heart attack.
Suddenly he realized who he was staring at, the duke's daughter, the girl who owned this stable at the tender age of sixteen, the girl his father taught how to ride a horse, the girl who he wrestled with in the hay when they were younger and didn't know the difference between classes and the difference between genders, the girl whose parents would never allow her to even think of spending time with a stable boy like him. He shouldn't be staring at her, he shook his head as he walked away quickly and nearly knocked over his best friend as he could no longer see, his vision was imprinted with the young Lady of the house.
"Dom, where are you going?" Vincent asked as he rounded the corner and was almost trampled by his best friend. Dom just muttered his apologies and said something about work then he disappeared into the stable. Vince scratched his head and looked around until he saw the Duke's treasure brushing her horse and Vincent knew as he watched his best friend's figure disappear into the crowd, things were going to get interesting.
"Dominique!" Leticia yelled as she mounted her horse and prepared herself to race across the track for the first time in two years, it had been much too long. The young stable master she had grown up with walked up but wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Yes Lady Leticia?" He asked as he watched her legs squeeze onto the horse tightly, keeping her balance. She looked down at him.
"Excuse me?" She asked as his head shot up with full intentions of looking at her eyes but they kept lingering at her full lips.
"I said yes Lady Leticia." He said as he watched her mouth move but didn't quite comprehend what she was telling him.
"You have not called me that ever before in private, why start now?" She asked as he fumbled a second for words as she raised an eyebrow at him waiting for an answer.
"It is a formality Lady Leticia; I am the servant I speak to you the way a servant would speak to the Duke's daughter." Leticia shook her head at him.
"What is wrong with you? It has only been two years, things have not changed." She said as Dominique looked into her eyes finally for the first time, those chocolate brown eyes that held a mystery in them that Dominique had never seen in another woman's eyes, it intrigued him. His lack of words made her believe that anything she was saying was not getting across. Suddenly she sighed as she pulled up on her saddle, her butt in the air, bending her legs as she squeezed the horse tighter to keep her balance, she then pulled up her crop and gave her stallion a simple pat on the behind as the two shot off, already a blur on the tracks as they were reacquainted with the feeling of the wind in their hair and the speed that each of the two demanded. Dominique watched them ride around the track twice and shook his head, she was right nothing had really changed, but she was wrong at the same time for to Dominique everything had changed.
"Amelia, why is my mother practically singing down the halls and asking me to dress in the new gown father bought me instead of some new riding pants?" Leticia asked grouchily at having her riding session interrupted and having to take a bath. Her young servant and best friend sighed as she washed her Lady's hair.
"I heard her mumble something about a party Lady Leticia." Amelia replied as she brought over a water basin and poured it over Leticia's hair. "Did you enjoy being able to ride today?" Amelia asked as Leticia smiled.
"It was beautiful Amelia, the wind blowing in my hair, the smell of horses and grass. It felt like home." Amelia smiled as her mistress enthusiastically spoke of the track. "And you Amelia? Did you enjoy seeing your brother again?" Amelia had gone with the Ortiz's to France and hadn't been able to see her brother in over two years.
"Dominique is always a joy to see again; ever since father died he's always been able to make the world smile again for me." Amelia smiled as she massaged Leticia's scalp, suddenly Leticia turned around and looked Amelia in the eyes.
"Mia, do you think I'm lucky? Do you think this is right?" Leticia asked as she spoke friend to friend instead of master to servant. Mia sighed.
"I don't know Letty. It seems to make your mother happy but as I look at you there with him, I see you as another one of his hunting trophies instead of his love." Letty nodded as she frowned and turned back around letting Mia continue to massage her scalp, as she mulled over in her mind what her friend had told her.
"Your Graces, welcome to the party." A young servant spoke as he bowed to the family.
"Thank you; may I know where the royal family is at the moment?" The Duchess asked as she flattened her gown and her daughter's. The servant nodded and waved his arm to three chairs that held the Queen, the King, and Prince Bartholomew with his right-hand man Francis standing behind his throne. The Duke smiled as he led his family to the thrones. Once there the king stood and shook hands with the Duke.
"Bernardo it is wonderful that you could come, Maria welcome, welcome." He smiled as the Duchess curtsied to him.
"Your majesty it is an honor to be here." The Duchess smiled as the king turned his attention to Leticia.
"My dear, dear Leticia, my son and I are honored to be here with you." Leticia smiled and curtsied to them as Bartholomew walked up to them.
"Leticia." He smiled as he took her hand and kissed it, Leticia frowned slightly but then caught herself and plastered a fake smiled on her face as she curtsied to him.
"Your majesty." He smiled at her and began to pull her by her hand to the dance floor. Once they reached the floor she curtsied to him as he bowed to her. He held out his hand and she took it as they circled each other, their hands being the only thing that touched between the two of them. They danced in step with each other and with everyone around them, but Leticia couldn't help but think about the freedom of riding her horse. The feeling of the wind blowing through her hair, like all that existed was her and the beautiful beast below her. Such freedom and wind instead of this cramped room full of rich people who only cared about themselves. She didn't realize that she wasn't paying attention until she heard everybody else around them clapping including the prince. She proceeded to clap as well but was stopped by the prince taking her hand and pulling her to the side of the party, probably to talk to her about everything she didn't care about; this was going to be a long night.
"Leticia, tell me all about the dancing, how did Bartholomew look at you? Oh never mind don't tell me, I saw how he was looking at you. Oh my daughter one day going to be the queen of England, I cannot fathom it." The Duchess kept going on and on as Leticia looked outside at the stars, as she dreamed of the day she would be able to ride off on her horse and never come back.
"Dominique it's not fair, why do you always win? I think you're cheatin'." Leonardo said as he lost yet more money to the grueling man in front of him.
"He isn't cheatin' Leon; h-he's j-just r-r-really good." James stuttered as he himself lost more money as well. Dom just grinned as he collected his money.
"So Dom, what's the deal with you and the Boss?" Vincent asked as he kept looking at his cards even though Dom's grin had disappeared from his face and he was now looking at Vince angrily.
"Nothing, watch what you say Vince, you may be my friend but I'm still in charge here." Dom growled as he began to count his cash.
"Sure, there might not be anything going on but we can tell you want there to be. Just the way you look at her ladyship gives it away." Dom looked up at Vince fiercely.
"Hold your tongue; you think I don't notice you watching my sister?" Dom replied as Vince blushed and looked down mumbling that he didn't know what Dom was talking about. Dom shook his head.
"I'm going out for a smoke." Dom said as he got up and left the other stable-boys to their gossip and cards. He leaned up against the gate that separated the track from the seats as he watched the stars and dreamed of the beautiful treasure that he dreamed would one day be his. He didn't realize he'd been out there for so long until he saw a figure on track as they twirled around and around staring at the sky. He furrowed his eyebrows and then saw who it was, it was Leticia. He didn't know what she was doing out here, but he was sure that she wasn't supposed to be. He walked up to her as he watched her twirling around; he tapped her on the shoulder as she turned around quickly and looked up at his brooding figure.
"It's cold your Grace, what are you doing out here at such an hour?" He asked as he tried to see her face but was unable to see through the darkness, he didn't need to see her face though he could tell she'd been crying. He saw her petite figure look up at him as she answered.
"I needed to think." She answered as she looked over at the track and held herself. "This place relaxes me." She said as she looked back at him, he smiled down at her even though he knew she couldn't see it.
"I heard you went to a party Miss." He said as she looked up at him. "I haven't been to a party in three years, but I remember a dance that a friend taught me." She snorted at him.
"A 'friend'?" She asked as he chuckled at her.
"Maybe a little more than a friend." He said as he gingerly picked up one of her hands and placed it on his shoulder, he then took her other hand and held it in his own at shoulder height, and he warily put his own arm around her waist as he held her. He didn't know what was driving him to be able to do this since he made such a blubbering idiot of himself that same morning, maybe it was the fact that he couldn't see her eyes, those eyes that he knew if he stared into them that he'd be lost and may not be able to find his way back. She stared up where she assumed his eyes were, completely transfixed by what was happening, she'd never once felt like this when another man danced with her, she could tell he was smiling.
"And 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3." Dominique chanted as he glided them around the track while he taught Leticia, not the Duke's daughter, but Leticia how to waltz. Leticia was fascinated she'd never felt like this before other than when she was racing. Eventually while the two were dancing the lamps in the stable and castle were put out, leaving the only thing to aluminate the night to be the moon. He could see her eyes, those chocolate eyes, he was losing himself in them, he could feel it and even though it scared him, he'd never felt better. He didn't know what he was doing he was leaning towards her as he stared at her plump lips. She leaned towards him, it was like she was being gravitated towards him, then she remembered who she was, who she was promised to and she pushed away from him. He looked down at her confused and hurt as her lips moved to say words but none came out, eventually she gave up and basically ran towards the castle as he watched her disappear. He frowned and shook his head as he walked inside the stable to get some sleep and hopefully dream about the girl that was running away from him.